Khamzat Chimaev sets his sights on UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira

Khamzat Chimaev always seems to be on the hunt for his next victim and that looks to be the case once again.

The undefeated talent got his hands raised after a gritty performance last time out. After seeing his fight against Paulo Costa fall out just days before his appearance at UFC 294, the 29-year-old was pitted against former long-reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

As he continues to strengthen his resume in the sport, Chimaev is desperate to fight for UFC gold. Despite exclusively competing in the welterweight and middleweight divisions throughout his career inside the octagon, ‘Borz’ has boldly called for a fight against newly crowned light heavyweight king Alex Pereira.

@danawhite let me finish him 🤝 pic.twitter.com/6JnJrgv2jR

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 20, 2023

‘Poatan’ captured his second UFC title when he earned a TKO victory over the returning Jiri Prochazka in his last outing. In a hard-fought affair, the Brazilian managed to land a vicious left hook—sending his opponent tumbling to the canvas—followed by some ground and pound, though the stoppage was considered controversial.

In just seven fights with the UFC, Alex Pereira has already held titles in two different weight classes and looks like a dangerous matchup for most in his division. Although he’s been sensational since debuting in the promotion, Khamzat Chimaev isn’t sold on Pereira’s quality and is eager to get his hands on the kickboxing phenom.

However, this isn’t the first time that the rising star has called for a shot at the South American. Chimaev has been chasing a fight against the combat sports legend since his rise to fame in mixed martial arts.

Over a year ago, the Chechnya-born freestyle wrestler revealed that he had accepted a fight against Pereira shortly after his one-sided victory over Kevin Holland but nothing ever came to fruition.

Related: Sean Strickland says Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t deserve title shot, Chimaev responds

What’s next for Khamzat Chimaev?

As aforementioned, Khamzat Chimaev continued his unbeaten run in the sport with a closely-contested decision win over Kamaru Usman, but what’s next for the MMA standout?

While nothing has been made official about the date or opponent of his return, he does have options at 185 lbs. Current champion Sean Strickland dismissed Chimaev’s call for a shot and the UFC has instead opted to pit the titleholder against Dricus du Plessis in early 2024.

One name that continues to be mentioned alongside the Russian is Paulo Costa. Ever since their fight fell through, ‘Borrachinha’ has been vocal about running it back with the #8-ranked middleweight in what would likely be a title eliminator clash.